Outside World
by thesketchytepe
Summary: The sequel to Home. Three years have passed of Armin and Annie living a happy and safe life. Home really is where the heart is, but they have their minds set on the outside world. It's filled with wonders and delights and all sorts of incredible things. But even such wonderful sights like the calming ocean has its dark and deadly secrets for blood is always thicker than water.
1. Chapter 1

****Hello once again! I told you you'd be seeing more of these two cuties. For those of you who don't know, Outside World is a sequel to Home and I recommend reading that before reading this, just because I won't be explaining much about what happened in Home. If you already read Home, then welcome back! Same warnings apply to this story as were applied to Home: language, violence, self-harm, mental illness, and actually some major character deaths. Keep in mind these won't be regular updates. I'm sure you guys understand the hardships of college, work, and harsh reality getting in the way.**

 **Now let's jump into all the love, heartbreak, and feels all over again! YAHOO!****

Annie watched Armin's morning routine, just like how she used to watch him walk home from school everyday. He'd wake up to his alarm buzzing at seven AM and silence it with a groggy hand. If Annie was still sleeping, he'd gently turn over and place a careful kiss upon her head. If not (like she was today), then he'd walk over to the bathroom and take a hot shower. After that, he'd get dressed for work, brush his teeth, comb his hair, and stuff his notes and books in his bag before heading into the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast.

Annie Leonhart sat at the kitchen counter with a finished bowl of cereal shoved to the side and her sketchbook opened up in front of her, quietly drawing out the outline to some building. She kept an ear out for Armin's movements in the other room, tracking his steps and the things he shifted around, waiting for him. When she heard his footsteps exit the bedroom and come closer to the kitchen, she set down her pencil and looked at the hallway.

A smile etched on her lips when he came into view. His golden blond hair was free of any wavy strands and curved perfectly around his head. His big blue eyes were still a bit sleep-crusted and he blinked slowly in tiredness. He wore a loose-fitting white long-sleeved shirt with a black tie hanging around his neck, undone. He also wore black slacks with a narrow black belt and dark dress shoes.

Annie bit the inside of her cheek, a little giddily. _He always looks so handsome like that_.

When Armin lifted a fist to rub his sleepy eyes, Annie shot up from her chair and went over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso, resting her head on his right shoulder. He had grown a little in the past few years; he now had the ability to place his chin upon the top of her head without having to lift his at all. Although he was still plenty skinny and narrow like a winter tree, she still felt safe and small in his arms.

Armin chuckled lowly and hugged Annie back. "Good morning, love," he said in a drowsy voice.

"Morning." She pulled back and stood on the tips of her toes to place her lips against his forehead. "You sound really tired. When did you go to bed last night?"

He scrunched his face in thought, glancing up at the ceiling like the answer was right over her head. "Uh, around two, maybe?"

"Two?"

He shrugged and walked pass her, rounding the counter and grabbing Annie's empty bowl on the way, setting it in the sink while flipping on the faucet. "I got first day jitters. I want everything to go well today."

It was Armin's first day of teaching for the second year he's had the job of a history professor at Rose University. He taught World History and European History every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the same as last year. He absolutely loved his job; not only did he get to teach what he loved to many young students, but he also worked along with his old professors including Doctor Hanji Zoe and Professor Erwin Smith.

Annie couldn't be any prouder of him.

"You'll do fine," she assured him. "You always do fine."

He turned off the faucet and grabbed a shiny red apple that sat next to the stove. "I wonder if I'm always gonna feel nervous on the first day of school, despite having to do it so many times."

Annie shrugged. "Maybe. But I guess that means you care about what you do if you get nervous about it every time."

Armin grinned. "I guess you're right."

For the next fifteen minutes, Armin chewed on his apple and explained to Annie what he had prepared for his students today, a passing of the class syllabus and then some sort of activity for the students to get to know each other. Annie listened, nodding her head along and adding in her own comment from time to time. When Armin glanced at his watch and announced that he'd better get going, Annie handed him his messenger bag and then assisted him with his limp tie.

As she made the final knot, she tugged down on the fabric so that Armin's neck was pulled down to her height and presented another sweet kiss to him, their lips lingering a bit longer than usual. She drew back, a faint smile on her face, and said, "I love you. You'll do great, I know it."

Armin returned the smile. "Thank you. I'll see you later." He straightened up and headed over to the front door. He turned the doorknob and was about to step through the doorway when he stopped himself and leaned back to throw a goofy grin at Annie. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask you." His smile widened. "Will you marry me?"

He had asked her that many times in the last year. The first time he asked (which was much more serious than this proposal) she said no as careful as she possibly could. She told him she didn't feel ready yet; she didn't feel prepared to be called a "wife" and having to somehow carry that heavy status. Armin said he understood and told her that he would wait as long as she wanted.

But he still continued to ask her, either to remind her or just to make her laugh at his silly attempts.

Annie smirked at him, at his joyful smile and his bright eyes. "No, Armin."

Keeping his smile on his face, he shrugged obnoxiously like a cartoon character and said, "One day."

She laughed as he shut the door behind him.

Shortly after he left, Annie proceeded to get ready for her day, which was planned on spending time with Mina Carolina. She was scheduled to meet her friend at ten o'clock that morning at an old restaurant for brunch, so she threw on a baggy T-shirt, worn-out jeans, and her favorite pair of combat boots. She then went to brush her teeth and run some dry shampoo through her hair before pulling it back into its usual messy bun—Mina, being the graduate of a beauty school, _hated_ when Annie put little effort into her appearance. She always told her that she possessed very fine and beautiful blonde hair, a trait she wished she had, and encouraged her to actually do something with it, but Annie would always shrug it off; she wasn't a big fashionista anyway.

Half an hour later, Annie stuffed her wallet, keys, and phone into her pockets and swallowed down her daily medication before studying the orange bottle for a moment. Sometimes Annie would bring her medicine with her if she knew she was going somewhere stressful or felt upset for whatever reason. Whenever negative emotions surpassed her, she would usually hear the Female Titan growl or hiss or scream in her head and throw horrible curses or insults at her. As of right now, she didn't feel or hear anything, but shoved the bottle in her shirt pocket anyway. Just in case.

Annie had gotten to the restaurant before Mina did and was waiting for her in a corner booth, fiddling with the leather strap of her necklace. Ever since Armin had given her this special gift to her all those years ago, Annie hadn't taken it off since (excluding showering and sleeping of course). She usually slipped the crystal and seashell part down her shirt though, not wanting people to constantly ask where she had gotten the piece of jewelry and having to explain to them that her boyfriend bought it the day she tried to kill herself.

Not a pleasant conversation to have, she believed.

These thoughts burst in her mind when she suddenly felt the tiny arms of Mina Carolina enfold around her neck, squeezing her as hard as she could (which wasn't very effective). "Annie!" she chirped in her ear before taking her place in the red booth across from her.

"Hi, Mina," Annie greeted in her monotone voice. "How was last night?"

The pig-tailed girl dramatically laid the back of her hand across her eyes, the typical pose of a damsel in distress. "Oh, it was so romantic! We went to Marie's Place and had amazing Italian food and then he took me up this trail in Trost Park that led up the mountains and found this place with a gorgeous view of the entire city and we talked the night away." She sighed contently before blushing a little and adding, "And then he spent the night at my house."

Annie smirked. Yesterday was Marco and Mina's first year anniversary of dating each other. Mina had been talking about it for the past week and Annie was a little glad that it was over so hopefully she would stop talking about it. But then again, she was happy to see her friend so in love.

Right after this, a tall blonde woman in waitress attire strolled over to the two girls and asked for their orders. Mina asked for blueberry pancakes and a lemonade while Annie requested French toast with a water. As the waitress nodded her head and was about to walk away, Mina grabbed Annie's elbows and leaned toward her in her seat, big blue eyes sparkling.

"So are you engaged yet?" she asked excitedly.

Annie huffed and pulled her arms away. "Why are you two constantly on my back about that?"

She gasped louder than necessary, causing the heads of a few other customers to glance their way. "What? Did he ask again?"

"Yes, but I told him no again."

Mina groaned pitifully like a child whose mother refused to purchase a toy for them. "But Annie! You must accept. It's true love!"

"I'm perfectly happy with how things are going now. Why does it have to change? If we're both happy, then what difference does it make if we're married or not. Besides, 'wife' makes me sound old."

Her friend glared at her and then quickly changed her expression to one of complete tiredness, like she had given up on something. "You have, like, no idea how much I want this to happen. I've known Armin for a long time and you became my best friend in just a couple months—I know a bunch of things about you guys and I swear you two are a match made in heaven. If you won't marry him for him, then do it for me. Me and my fangirl needs."

The blonde hid a chuckle behind her hand. "Like that could happen."

"It could. Also another thing you can do for me…" She stuck her finger at Annie. "Do tell that boy to grow out his hair. Like pass his shoulders or something. I think he'll look ten times hotter with long hair. He's had the same bob haircut since he was a kid. And trust me." She pointed at herself. "I know how hair works."

Annie tried to think about how Armin would look with longer hair but just couldn't see it. The dreamer was a polite and caring and intelligent human being and having long hair for a male usually required confidence or sureness in themselves, something that Armin lacked. She thought the stupid, nerdy haircut suited him just fine.

"I'll mention it to him," she assured her friend, although she had a feeling that she would forget about it sooner or later.

The girls continued to chat throughout their brunch session, but of course, it was mostly Mina doing all the talking. She spoke more of her adventures with Marco last night, crazy desires she got as a hairdresser in the nearest barber shop, and gossip about people Annie could never seem to remember who they were exactly. The bubbly girl waved her hands around and spoke in a fast pace with the octave of her voice rising and falling with each climax of the story she was telling. Mina managed to always make everything sound greater than it actually was.

"Oh, guess what else?" she heard her ask as she plopped a smashed blueberry into her mouth.

"What?" Annie sipped the last remains of her water, making a loud, sucking sound when all the liquid had finished gathering in her straw.

"I heard that the military is sending their troops back home. I don't know the exact date but it's pretty soon." Mina smiled brightly at her friend. "You know what that means, right?"

Annie dropped her straw into her cup and leaned back in her seat, eyes widened, heartbeat racing.

"We get to see them again," Mina answered for her. "After three whole years of being in the military, Eren and Mikasa are coming back home."


	2. Chapter 2:Hello Again

Armin sat patiently in his seat, waiting for his students to file out the classroom. It was a little pass twelve and he just finished teaching his last class for the day. Unlike his first two classes, the young scholars were very talkative and had lots of fun sharing their favorite moments in world history (the results brought up events like Queen Elizabeth I's rein in England to the Salem Witch Trials in America). Although they often went off topic, Armin was glad to know that his students were more than ready to learn.

When everyone left, Armin took off his wire-rimmed glasses (which he only needed when he was reading certain texts up close) and placed them in his shirt pocket and then collected the rest of his belongings. Once he gathered everything that was his and made sure the classroom was left how he found it, he slung his bag over his shoulder and exited the room.

He strolled down the hallway, glancing at the dull green classroom doors. He decided he needed to head over to his assigned office on the third floor and eat his lunch while he planned for Wednesday's class and wait for any possible student to either knock on his door or call his phone to schedule an appointment. He was about to turn a corner and walk up a flight of stairs when a very loud and familiar voice called out to him.

"ARMIN!"

After the unexpected shout, another equally familiar voice tried to calm them down as students stifled their laughter behind their hands.

The said boy peeked behind him and couldn't help the smile that had quickly spread across his face. His old professors, Dr. Hanji Zoe and Prof. Erwin Smith, were walking toward him, books and folder gripped firmly under their arms. Armin waved in their direction.

"Good afternoon, Professor Smith! Hello, Doctor Hanji!"

Hanji waved back even though they now had stopped three feet in front of Armin. "Polite as always, Professor Arlert." She winked at him before continuing in a louder voice: "And here I am, shouting your name across the school like a freakin' police siren!"

A small chorus of chuckles went around the trio. Hanji straightened up. "So, do you have any lunch plans? Erwin and I were gonna go to a new sandwich place down the street. Wanna come?"

"Sure, that sounds great!"

"Awesome. Because…" The four-eyed scientist wrapped her arm around Armin's neck (which was a little awkward because he was now a few inches taller than her and was forced to lower himself to Hanji's height). "…I have so many case files to review with you."

Her voice was low and dripping with interest and a drop of crazy, to which others would find slightly disturbing or creepy but to people who knew her, like Erwin, Levi, and Armin, usually found it normal and even funny at times (though Levi found it mostly annoying).

The three professors exited the university, strolled through the city streets, and entered a small diner entitled "The Taste of Rose" to which Hanji said sounded like the restaurant was serving the flesh of Rose City citizens to its own customers. Armin tried to laugh the morbid comment off while Erwin simply closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and opened them again in mild frustration.

They went inside, ordered their food, and then sat down at a round table near the large bay windows.

"So how was your first day of school times two?" Hanji asked Armin before taking a bite out of her tuna sandwich.

Armin finished his sip of water and glanced at his old professor. "It went very well. My first class is very quiet whilst my last class likes to talk a lot."

"That's how every class is like: the earlier the class, the sleepier the students." Hanji poked Erwin's broad arm, who was busy stirring his tomato soup. "Except for math. Everybody falls asleep in math class no matter what time of day it is."

Instead of protesting, the tall blond man merely shrugged his huge shoulders. "Well, with the exception of Armin, that's pretty accurate."

Hanji laughed and Armin blushed. "That's right! Always pays attention even to the most boring of subjects." She grinned at Armin and then leaned her head against Erwin's arm. "Welcome to the nerd squad, my friend."

He chuckled. "Thanks, I guess."

A few minutes passed of them eating their meals and talking about each other's first day. Erwin spoke of sleepy students and high requests for extra pencils and erasers while Hanji told them more of what she was teaching rather than the students themselves. The conversation itself was enjoyable and casual; Armin couldn't help but to smile and feel wanted. He had to admit, ever since Eren and Mikasa left for military training three years ago he'd found himself feeling lonely and perhaps a little bit empty. Sure, he had people like Annie, Connie, and Sasha to keep him company, but when something that's always been by your side for as long as you can remember suddenly vanishes, you lose yourself in the process.

He had skyped with them a few times before they got dispatched to somewhere in Germany. As expected, Eren was excited and prepared for all the hard work and dedication ahead of him. Mikasa, on the other hand, was a little bit harder to read. She watched Eren as he explained the day's events, she occasionally smiled at Armin through his computer screen, and she sometimes disappeared from sight entirely only to return with that old red scarf Eren had given her all those years ago.

Armin grinned at the memory. Well, as long as she was happy, he couldn't complain.

The messages became less frequent over time until they stopped entirely. Armin missed them terribly, but he couldn't blame them either. They were fighting for their country for God's sake! Responding to his text messages was probably the last thing on their minds. He tried to think back to the last time they had communicated with each other. He bit his lip in frustration when he failed to.

It's clearly been a while, he thought dejectedly.

Suddenly, Hanji's palms slammed down on the table, causing Armin to flinch in surprise, Erwin's drink to topple, and Hanji's food to jump in place. Erwin, with his right hand acting as a resting place for his chin, reached out with his left and placed a finger on his cup's straw, bringing it to a halt. The action was so slick and smooth that it became abundantly clear that Erwin was very much used to Hanji's odd and unpredictable ways.

"Have I ever told you about the Margaret Fritz case?" the four-eyed professor asked Armin, leaning toward the boy in what others would call "a threatening manner."

"Uh, I don't think so," he replied as she leaned back and rummaged through her hobo bag.

"That's correct, because I only discovered the file the other day." She pulled out a thin beige folder that contained probably hundreds of patient records, research papers, and school essays (how it all managed to stay together Armin would never know) and slapped the thing down on the table, swaying the piece of furniture again.

Watching her flip through her mess of papers, Armin became confused. "Then why would you…?"

But she interrupted him by shoving a paperclipped pile of paper in his face, a photograph stuck in the upper left-hand corner. "I found this mystery hidden within the filing cabinets at the psych ward. It's so weird; I didn't remember anything about this case when I first saw it." She glanced excitedly between the two blondes sitting beside her. "You guys want me to tell you about it?"

"I have a feeling that you're going to tell us either way." Erwin shifted in his seat, leaning back and crossing his arms. "What'd you find out, Hanji?"

She grinned wildly and slammed the packet on top of her overflowing folder; Armin decided that he was gonna have to get used to Hanji abusing furniture if he was going to hang out with her at all. "So apparently Rose Hospital used to care for a patient named Margaret Fritz about fifteen years ago. She stayed in the Psych Ward when she was nine-years-old. Turns out, she had multiple personality disorder and was known for being a little troublemaker. She'd escape from her room, disturb the other patients, kick and scream whenever doctors gave her treatment. Quite the brat if you ask me."

Armin leaned over the table, trying to get a better look at the photograph paperclipped to the packet. It was a picture of a little girl—choppy brown hair curved around her head, freckles scattered among her chubby cheeks, dark eyes glanced upwards like she was looking at the photographer when her picture was taken. Her chapped lips were left ajar and he could see one tooth missing from her half smile. Her features were small but pointed, making her seem a lot older than she really was. She looked like any other kid—small and curious. But he decided to trust Hanji when she said that the child was a pain in the neck.

"What happened to her?" Erwin asked, adding to the doctor's enthusiasm.

Her smile widened. "She ran away. That's what caught my attention. I mean, how does a nine-year-old girl escape a hospital with a bad reputation; not to mention that she had multiple personality disorder? The staff should've kept a close eye on her. If it were my decision, I would personally volunteer myself to stand outside her room and watch her all night if I had to."

Armin imagined being Margaret Fritz, locked up in a hospital room while Hanji Zoe stood across from her, examining her like she was some specimen under a microscope. The thought was truly terrifying.

Erwin glanced at the photograph. "Interesting."

"What was her behavior like?" Armin asked Hanji. Since the four-eyed professor was Annie's doctor and he often went to her appointments or check-ups, he became more educated in mental illnesses and their treatments so naturally he grew interested in this strange case.

"Margaret herself was apparently as sweet as can be. Quiet, gentle, and caring. It says here that when she first arrived, the doctors and nurses were actually confused as to why she was there. She had everyone fooled; for a while they were unsure of how to treat her because they couldn't find anything wrong, but then shortly afterward they discovered her second personality, gaining her that terrible status as—" Hanji flipped through her packet, straightened her glasses, and read from the paper. "—as 'the most disorderly, alarming, and troubled multiple personality disorder patient admitted to Rose hospital's psych ward.'" She snorted. "Another way of saying 'the girl's a brat.'"

Armin blinked. "What about her second personality?"

"Pretty much everything you'd imagine in a devil child: terrorize other patients, mess with the medicine, inflict self-harm and encourage others to do it. She sometimes had to be put in a straight jacket because her actions were at times so chaotic and animalistic, she was harmful to everyone around her."

Hanji held up another photograph. The same girl, this Margaret Fritz, was there but she looked so different from the first picture. Child innocence and curiosity were missing from her features and instead were replaced with burning anger and fiery rage. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself with the aid of an oversized straight jacket. She was curled into the corner of a padded cell room and snarling at the cameraman like a wild beast.

Armin bit on his lower lip in uncertainty. Normally he was against these sorts of treatments—he thought it cruel and unnecessary—but just by looking into those dangerous brown eyes and observing that terrible scowl of hers, he began to think that maybe the fabric cage was the better option.

"But get this," Hanji added, turning toward Armin, as if what she said next was something only Armin would understand. Erwin noticed this too, and brought his attention to him, waiting for his reaction. Armin looked back at Hanji, curious.

"Margaret would only respond to a certain name when in her second personality and insisted on being called that, no matter what." The doctor peered up at him with wide and determined eyes and Armin only caught on when she told him the girl's other name.

"She wanted to be called Ymir."


	3. Chapter 3: Haunting

"Omigosh, look at that puppy!"

Mina grabbed Marco's hand and dragged him down the street to where an old man and his dog stood by a stop sign, waiting to cross the street (that is until the young couple nearly pounced on them, asking the man if they could pet his grey poodle).

After Annie and Mina's lunch date, the two went on a walk around town, looking into shop windows, stopping at memorials and other large displays. Annie continued to listen to Mina babble on about whatever came to her mind until they spotted Marco Bodt and Jean Kirtstein coming out of a hardware store, carrying a small bag filled with all sorts of screws, wrenches, and cleaning products. They met up with each other, Marco and Mina hugging one another with great affection while Annie and Jean simply nodded their head in greetings. They had roamed the city together, Mina explaining her and Annie's recent activity and Marco informing them of how Jean accidently dropped a ring down the kitchen sink drain in their apartment and clogged it, which was why they bought several hand tools, not sure which ones they would need.

And now Jean and Annie were slowly walking toward the black-haired couple, watching them playfully rub that poodle's curly fur.

"I've been meaning to talk to you for a while, Annie," Jean hesitantly said, his tall and narrow shadow looming over her.

She looked up at him. He was staring at his shoes, hands tucked into his pockets, short hair flipping through the wind. His face seemed tight like he was trying to hold back a fit, a scream. She felt slightly uncomfortable at the situation already—in fact, she'd always felt like this whenever Jean was around. He was the only one of Armin's friends who wasn't all friendly and gentle when she returned into the blond boy's life. He usually wore a frown and constantly complained about almost any given situation. And he would throw silent but deadly glares whenever someone was being nice to Annie.

Jean sighed heavily and then peered down at her. "You do realize how lucky you are, right?" he asked—almost demanded—her.

She blinked, obviously not expecting such a question. Lucky? Well, of course she knew that. She knew that if Armin never loved her, she would still be living on the streets, be unaware of the meaning of true love. She knew that if Marco hadn't forgiven her for what she did to him, the weight of guilt in her chest would be overbearing. And she knew that if it were any other way, she would be stuck in a world of hurt.

Annie nodded her head. "I do."

Jean returned the curt nod before looking straight ahead, at Marco and Mina kneeling at the old man's feet while running their hands through the small dog's fur. He was silent as he came to an unexpected stop about five meters away from their friends. Annie paused shortly ahead of him and observed his expression. He stared at Marco as if he were strapped to a hospital bed, needles buried deep in his freckled skin while large machines beeped rhythmically around him. She suddenly felt guilt creep into her chest because she knew for a fact that Jean had once witnessed that very scene many years ago.

He exhaled again, this time with more impatience in his tone. He shifted his weight around, as if trying to decide what to do with it, before giving up and turning to Annie, a deep frown creasing his long face.

"You know what? Fuck it." He gritted his teeth together and stabbed a finger at Annie, moving closer to her as he kept his voice low and heavy. "Marco may have forgiven you for what you've done, but I haven't. Not one bit."

Annie inhaled sharply in shock but Jean didn't hesitate; he had much more to say.

"If Marco wasn't so persistent on letting this whole thing go, I'd do something about this shit you pulled. I don't care if you have schizophrenia or anything like that; Marco doesn't deserve what happened to him. What you did was wrong and I think you deserve to be punished."

Annie held her breath, remaining silent as she carried on her gaze with the Kirtstein boy. He stood about a foot from her but towered over her like a skyscraper, leaning and intimidating. His face was one of pure anger—dark eyebrows tilted downward, thin lips curled back, amber eyes glowing in fury, blue veins outlining his neck. She was surprised that he wasn't screaming or throwing things around for she knew that he now possessed enough rage to do just that. But he instead just glowered at her like a tiger and made sure that no one but Annie heard his threats.

 _He must really care about Marco,_ she thought to herself before Jean unleashed another quiet yet triggering opinion: "Sometimes, I wish you did kill yourself."

She felt something twitch at the side of her jaw. One might feel total sorrow or shame when being told this, but all Annie felt was familiarity. The Female Titan told her this all the time; she was used to such fatal words. But yet those same words were the ones that caused her to attempt just that.

So instead of getting angry or bursting into a puddle of tears, the blonde girl simply stared back and stated, "You're not the only one."

Jean glared and stepped back, saying nothing. A daunting silence hung over the two of them before Jean added gravely, "Don't do anything like that ever again."

Annie chewed on the inside of her cheek in an exasperated manner, but before she could say or do anything else, she heard Mina and Marco come skipping down the sidewalk, both satisfied now that they've pet the poodle.

"That was the cutest puppy I've ever seen!" Mina exclaimed with a giant grin on her face. "Did you guys see it?"

Neither Annie nor Jean answered her question; their unbroken gaze went on nevertheless.

"Uh, guys?" Marco called out, glancing awkwardly between the two. "Is everything alright?"

Another quiet moment passed before Jean straightened up and said, "Yeah, it's fine. Annie was just leaving actually."

At the same time, Marco and Mina turned their heads in Annie's direction, surprise and confusion covering their round features. "Already?" Mina asked. "It's only been a couple hours."

Annie was no fool; she took the hint and went with it. "Yeah. Armin's probably home now so I should be heading back."

Marco shrugged one shoulder and smiled. "We understand. It was fun hanging out with you for the past fifteen minutes anyway." He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Can we at least walk you back?"

"No, it's fine. The apartment's just around the corner anyway."

"Are you sure?"

Annie tried not to look at Jean, who was staring at her with the eyes of a preying lion. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks though."

After that, Marco and Mina bid her farewell with kind smiles while Jean merely squinted his narrow orbs at her before turning away and joining the happy couple.

Annie watched them for a while and then started heading for home in the opposite direction.

As she strolled down the sidewalk, listening to vehicles zoom by and people chatting nearby, she thought about Jean's words. What he said didn't bother her nor was it how he said it. In fact, she expected this sooner or later. She found it strange (but comforting) that almost everyone welcomed her into the arms of forgiveness and friendship when she returned home to Armin. After all she'd done? After everything that happened? Nevertheless, Armin, Marco, and everyone else accepted her—except the Kirtstein boy, that is.

 _Well, of course he didn't!_ a familiar voice growled in her head. _You almost killed his best friend, his brother, and now he is reminded of this every time he sees his twisted face. He completely loathes you._

Annie frowned and closed her eyes, coming to a halt in the middle of the cement pathway. She sensed strangers' stares on her as they moved around her, trying to get to wherever they needed to be. She stood still as she attempted to gain control of her mind again.

 _He's smart, I'll give him that,_ the Female Titan went on, her voice like a drill hammer against her skull. _He's the only one who is actually aware of my presence. I appreciate it because, you know, I really do try my best to let myself be known._

Her sadistic chuckle rang throughout Annie's head like an echo in a deep, dark cave.

Annie bit down on her bottom lip but then quickly released it, afraid she'd tear her flesh if she bit too hard. So instead she reached into her shirt pocket and fished out her medicine bottle.

She heard the monster within her growl annoyingly. _You know those little pills won't always be there to save you. You just keep on delaying what's inevitable. I am a part of you and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to tear us apart._

Without pausing, Annie plucked two white pills from the bottle and tossed them into her mouth, attempting to block out the noise in her head; the Female Titan continued to rant as she did so.

 _Just admit it, Annie girl. Admit that we're the same person. It's ridiculous and useless to hide from yourself—you should know this by now. Stop running away, you coward, and admit it…_

The Female Titan's voice sank away like the waves of the ocean, but Annie couldn't tell if it was because of her own attempt to push her demon over the edge or if it was just her medicine kicking in.

Annie placed her bottle back into her pocket, opened her eyes, and then sighed heavily, like a weight was being lifted from her shoulders. She glanced toward the orange sky overhead and thought to herself _Who would've thought that a couple of pills and a short blond boy could be the end of you?_ before poking her thumbs into her jeans pockets and complete her short walk home.

Annie was greeted with a warm "hello, love" and a kiss on the cheek from Armin once she entered their apartment. She smiled pleasantly and kissed him back, asking him how his first day of school went. He told her about his students and how excited he was to teach them this semester. She listened to his upbeat tone and watched his hands fly about him in an animated manner. She couldn't stop the smile from snaking upon her lips—she always thought he was absolutely adorable whenever he spoke passionately about something. Annie momentarily lost herself in his big blue eyes and wide smile before he brought her back to earth by crocking his head to the side and poking her nose.

"You okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

She blinked. "Uh, yeah. Did you say something?"

Armin chuckled and repeated, "I asked how your day was. Did you enjoy it?"

She nodded once and gave him a brief description of her time with Mina. However, she didn't tell him about Jean's heated confession to her. She knew he would be offended and probably confront him later on and she didn't want that. She just wanted to drop the whole thing and forget it ever happened.

After having some small talk, Armin suggested making dinner a bit early that night to which Annie agreed. Together they began pulling ingredients out of the fridge in order to prepare a nice salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, cauliflower). Annie sat on one of the stools by the kitchen counter and filled two small bowls with the green leaves while Armin stood on the opposite side of the counter with a cutting board and a kitchen knife, slicing at the cool cucumber. This arrangement went on for some time, both blondes speaking delightfully with each other until a short silence overcame them and Armin changed the tone of the conversation.

"I ate lunch with Hanji and Erwin today," he announced, eyes locked on the knife sliding through the thin cucumber.

Annie glanced up at him, at his pondering expression upon his facial features. Something in his voice was hesitant, like he wasn't sure how to go about his next statement. "Oh?"

Armin nodded. "Hanji brought up the case file of a certain mental patient I think you should know about." He finished cutting the remaining pieces of the green fruit before collecting them by the handful and tossing a few into Annie's salad bowl.

Her eyebrows scrunched together at his words, not liking the sound of them. "What do you mean?"

He shook the rest of the cucumber slices onto his salad and then went to grab the small tomato that sat still at the corner of the cutting board. Once his bony fingers wrapped around it, he paused, sighed, and then picked it up, examining its red surface with undefined eyes.

Annie wasn't sure what to think of this strange reaction.

Without looking up at her, Armin mumbled out, "Ymir is a runaway patient from Rose Hospital's psych ward."

Annie felt her hands slowly tighten into fists and her shoulders stiffen. Ymir? It's been so long since she last heard that name. She had so hoped she wouldn't have to hear or speak the ice giant's name ever again, but as always, her past would come back to haunt her.

Armin informed her all of what Hanji told him regarding Ymir's case—he even reported reading an article published in Rose City fifteen years ago that warned citizens of the unstable girl roaming free through the streets shortly after he arrived home. "I've lived here almost all my life and for some reason I can't remember this happening." He finally glanced up at her and then blinked. "Annie, are you okay?"

She didn't answer. She wasn't aware of what kind of expression her face held. Instead all her attention was centered on a familiar burning feeling on the nape of her neck. 


	4. Humane Monsters

"So, who can tell me what main countries were a part of the Allies during World War I?"

Armin looked back toward his class from his spot at the chalkboard, a stick of white chalk locked in between his fingers. He saw a few hands dangle in the air and he pointed at a red-headed girl sitting near the front.

"Isabel?" he implied.

The said girl lowered her limb and answered in a hesitant but loud voice: "Uh, it was America, France, Russia, Britain, and…" She twisted her face in uncertainty as her large blue eyes stared wildly at him, as if waiting for him to suddenly give her the answer. "…China?"

"Not quite." He wrote down the names of the first four nations Isabel had uttered upon the black chalkboard under a list entitled Allies. "You're thinking of World War II."

"No!" she cried in an overdramatic manner by throwing her fists in the air and shaking them, causing her classmates to grin and chuckle amusingly.

Armin copied the same actions as his students before turning to the blond boy that sat next to Isabel, noticing his raised hand. "Yes, Farlan?"

"Italy was with the Allies during that time, not China. Serbia and Belgium were also a part of the team."

"Correct." He scribbled the answers down. "Now do you remember who was with the Central Powers?"

Farlan paused for a moment before replying, "I think it was Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria."

"Correct again, Farlan." Armin offered an encouraging smile before jotting down the names beneath another list entitled Central Powers. He heard Isabel mutter "Show off" to Farlan behind his back to which Farlan merely chuckled in mockery.

After this, Armin straightened up and faced the class once more. "But let's go back to Isabel's mistake from earlier, shall we? There's something I'd like to mention."

Isabel's big blue eyes grew even wider in irrational fear. "Can we not?"

Her classmates giggled again but the young professor only beamed at her, comforting her anxiety. "Don't worry, Isabel. I'm not going to make fun of you; I'm actually glad you brought it up."

The redhead stuck out her bottom lip like a frustrated child but said no more.

Armin cleared his throat and addressed to the class: "Italy had a former alliance with Germany in the beginning of World War I, but switched later on. A very similar thing happened during World War II. Why is Italy sort of notorious for constantly switching sides?"

A short silence hovered over the classroom before Farlan carefully answered again, "Well, Italy was worried about France and England during World War I and stuck with Germany and Austria-Hungary kind of out of fear before they signed the Treaty of London and quickly joined the Allies once they learned they had nothing to fear. And with World War II, Germany had great success in defeating France so Italy joined the Axis Powers shortly after their invasion. But once the Axis Powers started going downhill, they switched sides towards the end of the war."

Armin nodded proudly. "So what does that tell you?"

At this, Farlan crinkled his eyebrows in misperception and Armin noticed Isabel beside him doing the same thing. "What do you mean?"

As Armin placed his stick of chalk down, he explained, "You see, we study history because we can learn from others' mistakes. We can learn about the best and worse sides of humanity, of what humans are capable of. We can also predict our futures and help each other become better people, better leaders." He grinned. "So, Farlan, what did you really learn today?"

As he watched the boy pondered for his answer, Armin thought to himself. He knew that the university was paying him to teach others about wars and nations and kings but, being a member of the Arlert family, he couldn't help but to add in a bit of philosophy and critical thinking.

Farlan glanced back at Armin, apparently his mind now made up. "The Italians just wanted to save themselves," he answered. "That's…a very human thing to do."

Armin nodded, smiling slightly. "I think so too."

"Whoa." Isabel looked at Farlan with a dumbfounded expression. "That was deep."

Armin chuckled and peeked at the watch that encircled his wrist. 12:25 PM, it read, marking the end of the class. He looked back toward his students and announced, "So that's where we'll leave off for today; hopefully Farlan's answer will give you something to think about—" the pupils stuffed their notebooks and binders into their backpacks as he concluded the day's lecture "—but don't forget about your quiz next Wednesday! It only covers chapters one and two."

Students shrugged on their loaded backpacks and then strolled out the classroom, chatting with their fellow classmates or texting on their cell phones. Armin caught Farlan speedily writing something down in his notes while Isabel tugged playfully on his arm, pleading with him to hurry up so they could see security guard Levi before his shift ended. He stopped scribbling with an annoyed sigh, shoved his things into his bag, and then let his energetic friend drag him out the door.

Meanwhile, Armin packed his supplies and papers into his messenger bag (the same one he carried around when he attended Rose University as a student), switched off the lights, and then hurried out the door, hoping to catch the last few minutes of Annie's appointment with Doctor Hanji.

The love of his life was required to schedule and appear at appointments every three months hosted by his former professor; the meet-up was nothing more than a refill of pills and a check-up on the Female Titan. There were a few times in the past three years that Annie's condition had worsen, and other tactics were taken to secure her mental health. Nothing too serious happened, of course—she was put under forty-eight hour surveillance, complete with a tiny hospital room and Hanji's endless inquires. Just having Hanji in the same room with Annie for twenty minutes was enough to clear any fears or doubts Armin had—Hanji wouldn't leave until Annie took all of her medicine and Annie would do anything just to get her to shut up.

In the end, she turned out okay, but Armin knew that he couldn't stop Annie from thinking about such dreadful things from her past or listening to that daunting voice in her head. _This will happen again,_ he thought to himself as he hurriedly left the university and rushed toward the hospital, _and there's very little I can do to stop it._

He despised this piece of knowledge.

He stumbled through the hospital's sliding glass doors just in time to see Annie walk out from a grand wooden door behind the reception desk, Moblit by her side. He had a smile on his face and was speaking to Annie in a friendly manner. The blonde girl simply nodded along, as usual. Moblit only noticed Armin when he sauntered over to them.

"Hey there, Armin," he greeted, offering a short wave. "You just missed it."

"Yeah, I know." He grinned awkwardly. "I planned on ending my last class a little early today so I could get here on time, but I think I rambled on again."

Moblit chuckled as Armin turned toward Annie. "Everything okay?" he asked her.

She bobbed her head up and down slowly like she'd been responding this way for some time. "I'm just tired. The appointment lasted longer than usual."

He blinked in mild surprise. "It did?"

Just then came Hanji's loud and energetic voice, echoing throughout the entire first floor: "ARMIN!"

Not only did Armin, Annie, and Moblit cringe slightly at her unneeded shout, but so did all the other doctors and nurses around the lobby while patients and visitors stared confusedly and worriedly. Armin peeked up and spotted Hanji poking out from behind the reception desk, the clerk angrily shoving a finger against her lips in attempt to shush her. She waved wildly at him and gestured to a door behind her before hurrying through said door.

"I…guess she wants me to follow her," Armin mumbled, not really sure how to react to Hanji's dog-like performance.

Moblit rubbed the space between his eyebrows and exhaled loudly; Armin could hear every ounce of regret and irritation in this single sigh. He then gestured toward the hallway behind them. "I'll take Annie to the cafeteria if you wanna see what Hanji wants."

"That'd be great; thank you."

Armin noticed the annoyed expression Annie was giving him from the corner of his eye. He knew she wouldn't like conversing with Moblit by herself for however long Hanji wanted him, but he swiftly diminished her frown with a quick kiss on her cheek and a small smile, saying, "It'll only be a moment. I promise."

She huffed in defeat. "Fine," she mumbled, allowing herself to be guided by Moblit down the hallway and into the hospital's cafeteria.

He smirked as he strolled through the door that Hanji disappeared to.

Once he stepped pass the threshold, he spotted the four-eyed doctor standing off to the right, her face suddenly serious. He cracked a smile in greetings, but her expression didn't shift or change in the very least. This unexpected appearance of his good friend and mentor concerned him greatly which caused him to nervously whisper, "What's wrong with her?"

Hanji pursed her lips before jerking her chin to the right. "Let's go to my office."

Feeling that all-too-familiar knot of anxiety twist in his chest, Armin swallowed and then reluctantly trailed behind his old professor. His mind ran a million miles a minute as his and Hanji's footsteps echoed throughout the nearly empty hallway: what did she find? Was Annie's schizophrenia acting up again? Was she cutting herself and he just didn't know it? What sort of horrible things was the Female Titan whispering into her memory? Just how bad was the situation?

His mind-babble quieted some once he heard Hanji unlock the door to her tiny office and her calm but grave voice mutter, "It's nothing too serious, but there's some things you need to know."

They silently scuffled inside.

Armin stayed by the door while Hanji walked behind her desk, plucked a clipboard from among the litter covering it, and then shuffled back over to him. She quickly skimmed her sloppy handwriting. "Like I said, it's nothing too serious so don't worry about it too much; Annie just mentioned a few things that caught my attention." She peeked at him through her spectacles with a tiny grin upon her lips. "But telling you not to worry is like telling a bear not to hibernate during the winter."

He knew that she was trying to make him feel better about the whole situation, but he couldn't bring himself to smile or laugh when his heart was pounding heavily and speedily like a jackhammer.

Hanji cleared her throat embarrassingly when he didn't respond and then read from her notes: "Annie told me she's been having strange dreams lately and they're apparently different from the dreams she gets from her medicine."

Armin understood that Annie's medication came with odd side effects like weird dreams, pounding headaches, and sometimes drowsiness. But he didn't realize that she was experiencing stranger-than-usual dreams.

"I asked her to describe them to me," Hanji went on, "and she firstly explained what they were like beforehand. She said they were usually random or just didn't make sense; for example, she would dream about hanging out with you and then it would start raining pineapples. Something small and innocent. But it would be appropriate to call these new dreams nightmares because she described so much gore and violence that, frankly, it even freaked me out."

Armin said nothing as he listened intently to Hanji explain Annie's bloody nightmare, feeling his heartbeat pick up speed and his teeth clamp down on his bottom lip. "She told me of a particular dream she had the other night. In this dream, she and Ymir were standing face to face like they were preparing for battle. The both of them bit deep into their wrists and then they transformed into these…these monsters. She described them to be incredibly tall—around fifteen meters in length—and their appearances extremely creepy. Annie's, um, monster or whatever it's called seemingly looked like her but sections of her skin were missing, leaving behind only muscle—this included the skin around her eyes, cheeks, neck, and chest. She said Ymir's monster was shorter than hers and had all her skin on, but her eyes were as dark and hollow as a shark's and she had clawed hands and feet, sharp like a lion's. Annie and Ymir got into a huge fight; it was a fight to the death. They scratched and punched and kicked and bit until one of them was dead."

He was a little afraid to ask but he knew that he had to. "Who was the winner?"

Hanji paused for a moment before replying calmly, "Annie killed Ymir. She tore off her limbs and smashed her into a bloody pulp. And when she was done beating her, she…ate her. Like how a lion eats a helpless zebra. She completely devoured her."


End file.
